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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27749470">Every Star Fall</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomsherlocka/pseuds/boomsherlocka'>boomsherlocka</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Artist!Ben, Childhood Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Mechanic!Rey, Modern AU, Rey's Clueless, ben's an idiot, marriage pact, they deserve each other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:33:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27749470</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomsherlocka/pseuds/boomsherlocka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They made the arrangement when Rey was 15.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>136</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Every Star Fall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Reylo is something I am dipping my toes in when it comes to AUs. Canon Reylo sorta weirds me out, but AU versions of these idiots are pretty cute together. </p>
<p>This was written as a Christmas gift for an exchange in my nerdy Facebook group! </p>
<p>If you've been waiting on me to update my other stories I'm sorry, I've been busy doing some professional writing and this! I will be back to my regularly scheduled programming soon! </p>
<p>Please enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The agreement was made when Rey was 15, loud and brash and unafraid of anything. Ben hadn't known how young she was when she first was placed in foster care with Maz. She'd always seemed so much older, probably because she'd had to take care of herself for much of her early life. </p>
<p>It wasn't until she'd got turned away at the door of a club that Ben realized how much younger she was. It didn't change much about his opinion of her, except he knew they needed to find her a better fake ID. </p>
<p>She hadn't gotten turned away again. </p>
<p>The agreement was made when Ben had been rather spectacularly dumped by Voe and he was unexpectedly morose about it. It wasn't like he had been deeply in love with her by any stretch of the imagination, but it still hurt more than he expected it to. </p>
<p>He was curled up in his bedroom listening to too-loud music when Rey burst in, dragging his desk chair over towards the bed and plopping down into it without preamble. "Did my mom call you?" Ben muttered, looking up at her. </p>
<p>Rey nodded, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Yep. Said she was worried about you up here, that she wasn't sure what had happened. I told her I would take care of it. You sad about Voe?" </p>
<p>Ben groaned, rolling over to bury his face in his pillow. </p>
<p>"I'm going to take that as a yes," Rey said, spinning in the chair a bit. "You shouldn't be sad, you know. She and Tai had been sneaking around behind your back for a while, you know. He finally talked her into breaking it off with you because he was afraid of what you would do when you found out about it. He didn't want his nose broken, I'd wager." </p>
<p>Ben snorted, turning his face towards her. "I still haven't ruled out breaking his nose on principle." </p>
<p>Rey smirked, her chin resting on the peaks of her knees. "There he is. I'm proud of you." </p>
<p>Ben smiled slightly. "I'm glad." </p>
<p>Rey's cheeks pinked and she looked away, clearly flustered. After a moment she dove under his bed, pulling out a very large bottle of very cheap vodka that he kept stashed under there. "Last one drunk's a rotten egg," she said as she unscrewed the top, taking a swig before holding it out for him. </p>
<p>He took the bottle and sat up, taking a couple of long drags off of the bottle before passing it back to her. </p>
<p>They passed it back and forth until Rey had sprawled out in the bed beside him, pink-cheeked and giggly far before Ben had even felt a buzz. She was half his size, after all. </p>
<p>"Rey... Rey, I have a plan," Ben said as he cracked open one eye. When she got drunk she always wanted to play with his hair, and he never had any complaints about that. "So when... when you turn... let's say thirty. If we're both still single we'll get married." </p>
<p>"To each other?" Rey asked, braiding his hair slowly. </p>
<p>"No, you can marry my dad and I'll marry Maz," Ben drawled, which earned him a smack to the forehead. "Yes to each other. I mean, it's very unlikely you'll be single, you're amazing, but... I mean. This way we both have back up plans. I want you in my life forever anyway, so this will be just a... whatever. Thing." </p>
<p>Rey hummed. "Yeah, alright. That sounds like a good plan. We should write that down so we don't forget." </p>
<p>"Bedside table, there's a journal and some pens," Ben said, sitting up to reach over her. </p>
<p>"Am I going to see anything scary in this side drawer?" Rey said. Her breath was warm against his neck and he snatched up the journal before closing the drawer. </p>
<p>"Just don't look in there," Ben said with a smile, opening his journal. "Alright, so... 'I hereby swear to marry Ben Solo if I am single on my 30th birthday and he is also still pathetically single.' That sounds good enough. Here, sign and date it there." </p>
<p>"I shouldn't have my lawyer look this over?" Rey asked with a little laugh, taking the pen and journal before settling the journal on his face with a chaotic laugh. </p>
<p>She signed it and set it aside before cuddling in close to him. "Alright. I signed my soul away. Now cuddle me." </p>
<p>Ben didn't need to be told twice. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. </p>
<p>She snored a little, but he didn't mind. </p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Ben kept that agreement in his bedside drawer until he moved away for college. He took it with him and kept it tucked under his mattress. Rey got caught up with her friends and he got caught up with new friends, but they never fell out of contact, and she was always the first person he wanted to see when he went home for breaks. </p>
<p>Most of the time she would be at his house with his parents when he arrived home with a duffle bag full of laundry. </p>
<p>Her senior year she was surprisingly quiet.  She sat on the dryer as he moved a load from the washer to the dryer. "What's up?" he asked, pushing her leg aside so he could shut the door of the dryer. "Turn it on." </p>
<p>She reached behind her to press the button with a sigh. "Nothing, I just... you're going to be mad at me." </p>
<p>Ben felt his stomach twist. "Why? You aren't pregnant, are you?" </p>
<p>"What? No!" Rey said, wrinkling her nose. "Gross. No. I just... I decided I don't want to go to college. Your dad offered me a job at the garage and I accepted. He's going to teach me everything he knows." </p>
<p>"He doesn't know very much, so don't get your hopes up too much," Ben said with a little laugh. "I don't really... I mean. If you're happy then that's all that matters. But... if it's a money issue I can help you get loans and stuff." </p>
<p>Rey shook her head. "No, it's not that. I just... I hate school. So much, Ben. I'm not as smart as you are and I'm honestly lucky I'm going to graduate at all. And being a mechanic is going to always be something that people need. And you're close to graduating, right? You'll be back around."  </p>
<p>"You think I'm going to move back here?" Ben asked, arching a brow. </p>
<p>The look on Rey's face was tragic. "W...what, you're not? Where are you going? I... I want you to come back! I've never felt at home anywhere before, Ben, I want to stay here and I want you with me!" </p>
<p>Ben's heart thudded hard in his chest. He nodded once before moving to shove the rest of his clothes into the washing machine. "You want me to come here, alright. I can do that. I'll come back here and do whatever the fuck you can do with an art degree." </p>
<p>"A degree's a degree, your mom says that all the time," Rey said with a little shrug. "But that might be because her son switched his major from Political Science and a minor in Religious Studies to being an Art major and tends to like to paint with his own blood." </p>
<p>Ben chuckled. "Alright, well... that's probably fair. So you've thought about what is going to happen when I graduate. Alright. That's... cool. You're coming to my graduation, right?" </p>
<p>"I wouldn't miss it, already planning on hitching a ride with your parents," Rey said as she hopped down off the dryer, snatching up Ben's hand and dragging him into the living room. "Now come here, I want you to open your Christmas present." </p>
<p>"What, I can't wait?" Ben asked, sitting down when Rey pushed down on his shoulders. </p>
<p>"You're really going to complain about getting an early present?" Rey asked, going to snatch up a present that was wrapped in brown paper, a homemade bow on top. "Come on, open it." </p>
<p>"Alright, alright, yours is over with the other presents if you want to open it," Ben said as he took the package from her. She didn't need any other permission to bound over to the stack of presents, picking through the top layer of presents until she found the one with her name on it. </p>
<p>"Open at the same time?" Rey asked as she settled down next to him on the sofa. She was unable to keep the smile off of her face as she picked at the tape on the package. </p>
<p>"Together," Ben agreed, tearing the paper open on the package that Rey had given him but paying much more attention to her unwrapping her gift. </p>
<p>She crumpled up the paper slowly as she laid the painting on her lap, drawing in a slow breath as she looked down at it. "You... did you do this from a picture?" </p>
<p>Ben looked at the painting himself, even though he could have described it from memory if he had to. "No," he said softly. The painting was of Rey from a trip they had taken a few years ago, one where they took an old muscle car that they'd helped Han rebuild on a road trip to make sure they'd got it going and road-ready. They hadn't had plans, but when they'd come across a planetarium Rey had begged until they stopped. The painting was of Rey's face, lit with a night sky and surrounded by swirling galaxies. Her eyes were lit up with stars, her face full of wonder. Ben had never seen anything so beautiful before, so he had committed that image to memory and tried painting it over and over. </p>
<p>This was the first time he'd gotten it right, and he knew he had to give it to Rey. </p>
<p>Her silence was worrisome. "If... if you don't like it you don't have to keep it, I can get you something else," he said in a rush, reaching out to take the canvas from her. "My mom will want it, for sure." </p>
<p>"No! It's mine!" Rey said, tugging it away from him. "I... Ben. It's amazing. It's so beautiful! This must have taken forever!" </p>
<p>"It wasn't that bad," Ben said, which was a blatant lie. </p>
<p>Rey was quiet for a long time again before she carefully placed the canvas aside before throwing herself at Ben, wrapping him into a tight hug. "Thank you," she said softly against his neck. "No one's ever done something like that for me." </p>
<p>Ben wrapped his arms around her, stroking his hand over her shoulder blade. "You deserve it. You deserve people to be nice to you, do nice things for you. I'm glad you like it." </p>
<p>Rey pulled back a bit, snatching Ben's gift out of his hands and tossing away the paper. "Mine sucks in comparison," she muttered as she opened it up, pressing a leather wallet into Ben's hand. "I made that in art class. I'm crap at pretty much anything artistic, but leatherwork wasn't so bad." </p>
<p>"You took art class?" Ben asked with a growing smile. </p>
<p>"Oh my god shut up," Rey said, slapping his chest before climbing off of his lap. "Not everything's about you, you know. It's an easy credit." </p>
<p>"Thanks, Rey," Ben said softly, tracing his fingertip over his initials embossed in the leather. "It's great. Thanks. Now you have to switch everything over to the new wallet for me. It's part of the rules of this kind of gift." </p>
<p>"Bad idea, trusting me with your wallet," Rey said with a grin, holding out her hand. "You know how much money you have in there right now?" </p>
<p>"Nope," Ben said as he passed both wallets over to her.</p>
<p>"Good," Rey said with a smirk, snatching them both from him before beginning the switch over. </p>
<p>Ben watched her every move, a smile on his face. </p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Rey spent a week with him at graduation, hopping from party to party before sitting between his parents at the actual graduation ceremony. His name was towards the end when it came to being called and he had never been the best at being patient, but he was sure he heard Rey's cheer cut through the polite applause of the thousands of people at graduation.</p>
<p>The smile on his face in his picture, clutching his fake diploma and the tassel on his hat a bit blurred in movement, was genuine. </p>
<p>He’d had a whole week with Rey. They’d had fun, lots of fun, and the future they could have together had become even more clear to him. </p>
<p>They had a lot to look forward to. </p>
<p>He hoped she thought so too. </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Han retired when he had his second heart attack and Rey took over the garage. Ben spent close to two months helping her clean everything up and reorganize things to her liking while Han grumbled from the office in the bag. Even though he had retired, he still spent a lot of time at the garage telling Rey everything she was doing wrong. </p>
<p>She pretended not to listen, but she always did. </p>
<p>“So are you going to do anything special for your birthday, Ben?” Han asked after flicking the balled-up wrapping of his sandwich at him. They were having lunch and it was Ben’s 30th in four days.  </p>
<p>Ben shrugged, taking a bite of his pickle as he flipped through a copy of the New Yorker. </p>
<p>“Leia and I are going to make dinner and cake. We’re even making ice cream from scratch,” Rey said with a proud little wiggle. </p>
<p>“You guys really don’t have to go through all that trouble,” Ben said, shaking his head slightly as he wiped mustard from the corner of his mouth. “It’s just a birthday. Just another day.” </p>
<p>“Oh come on Ben, you never let us have any fun and secretly you love the attention, I know it,” Rey said, tapping the toe of her boot against his calf. “Thirty’s big. Plus you’ve got your storefront all established, let’s celebrate!” </p>
<p>“I don’t know what has given you the impression I secretly enjoy the attention, but that impression is… very far from the truth,” Ben muttered, passing over the rest of his chips to Rey, who took them happily. “But I appreciate your enthusiasm, and if there’s ice cream involved I’m in.” </p>
<p>“You’re too easy, kid,” Han said with a chuckle, sweeping the remnants of his lunch into the trash. </p>
<p>Ben grumbled and stood. “Yeah, well. It’s Rey. What am I gonna do?” </p>
<p>“Exactly,” Rey said, bouncing to her feet when she heard a knock on the overhead door of the garage. “It’s Finn,” she said with a shy smile before leaving the office. </p>
<p>“Who is Finn?” Ben muttered to Han after she had left. </p>
<p>Han’s face was pained for a moment before he smoothed out his expression. “Boyfriend,” he grumbled, reaching for his bottle of water. </p>
<p>Ben felt cold. “Boyfriend? Since when? She’s not mentioned a boyfriend to me.” </p>
<p>Han sighed as Ben moved to poke his head out of the office to spy on Rey and the boyfriend. “Yeah, well, she wouldn’t, would she? All you’d do is scare him off. You can’t expect that girl to wait around for you to get your shit together forever, you know. Shit or get off the pot.” </p>
<p>“Gross,” Ben muttered, leaning out a bit farther until he could see the two of them near the door of the garage. </p>
<p>Finn was… well. Not what he expected. He was dressed in a police uniform and the wide smile on his face betrayed how much he liked Rey. </p>
<p>Her hand on his forearm betrayed how much she liked him too. </p>
<p>She laughed, and the sound was unfamiliar to his ears. He’d never heard that particular laugh before, never seen her face so soft. </p>
<p>She’d never looked at Ben like that. </p>
<p>“I’ll see you later,” Ben said to Han, not turning around to face him. He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and pulled his keys out of his pocket. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get around Rey and Finn without her trying to talk to him or, god forbid, try to introduce him to Finn, but he was having a hard time catching his breath. </p>
<p>Fuck. Fuck. </p>
<p>“Ben, do you…?” Rey began, her smile melting into a frown when she looked up into his face. “What’s wrong?” </p>
<p>“Something came up, something… something big,” Ben said, not slowing his pace as he brushed past them. </p>
<p>He could hear her voice behind him, she sounded concerned, but he didn’t stop. He got into his truck and drove off, unsure of where he was going. </p>
<p>He just kept driving until he found himself at home. </p>
<p>Ben lost track of time. Days passed, he knew, but he didn’t keep track. He tried to work on the couple of commission pieces he had on his plate, but he had no inspiration. Music grated on his last nerve, and his entire body felt sore like he’d fallen down a flight of stairs. He had no bruises, no visible wounds, but he <em> hurt.  </em></p>
<p>He was laying in the dark, ignoring his phone as it buzzed over and over. </p>
<p>He reached over to power it down but saw he had a ton of text messages, mostly from Rey. He ignored those in favor of the handful that his mother had sent when he’d ignored her phone calls and voicemails. </p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Benny. Your father told me that Rey told you about her plans for your birthday party. You have no excuse not to be here. This girl has been here all day making lasagna from scratch, making you a Red Velvet Cake with dark chocolate icing because you’re weird and like that best, and homemade ice cream as well. I don’t know what happened, but you need to be here.  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Ben Solo. The only good excuse for you not being here is if you’re dead in a ditch somewhere, which I’m starting to think might be true. Can you at least just tell me you’re okay? You’ve never ignored Rey too.  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Ah. So you know about Finn. Your father just told me that too.  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Ben. Honey. You need to talk to her. She hasn’t made Finn lasagna.  </em>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>Ben wanted to throw his phone across the room. Instead, he put it back on his bedside table, rolling over and burying his face in his pillow with a huff. </p>
<p>He was close to falling asleep when there was a knock at the door. </p>
<p>He slipped out of bed and padded to the door, pulling it open with a weary sigh. </p>
<p>Rey stood there, her face white with fury. She shoved a bag into his chest, her lips pressed into a tight line. “I don’t know what I did to you,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion. “But what you did to me today… you… you’ve never been so mean to me. And I don’t deserve that. So there, eat your birthday dinner by yourself, miserable in your stupid apartment. Happy thirtieth.” </p>
<p>She turned to leave, waiting until her back was turned to raise a hand to wipe away a tear. </p>
<p>“Rey…” Ben sighed, tightening his grip on the bag she’d brought. “It isn’t… it isn’t you. I’m sorry, it isn’t you. It’s me.” </p>
<p>Rey’s shoulders drooped a bit. She drew in a slow breath like she was preparing to rail into him, but instead, she just let it back out, shaking her head. “My ride’s waiting on me,” she muttered before she left, never once looking back. </p>
<p>Ben took the bag of food to the kitchen to put it in the fridge. Realistically he knew he probably wouldn’t eat it, his guilt wouldn’t allow it, but he might as well go through the motions. He put away the containers until there was only a wrapped package at the bottom of the bag. </p>
<p>Ben didn’t open it. He left it on the kitchen counter and went back to bed. </p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>When his phone buzzed at 3 in the morning he knew there was something wrong. He reached over for it and answered the call groggily. “Yeah? What’s wrong?” </p>
<p>Rey’s voice was loud and slurred on the other end of the line. She was yelling over loud music, wherever she was. “I need you to come get me,” Rey said without preamble. </p>
<p>Ben was already pulling on some shoes and looking for a hoodie. “Yeah, alright. I can come get you. Where are you right now?” </p>
<p>“You… you probably have never been here, it’s a club? They put it in where that sandwich shop used to be at the end of 8th Avenue. I’m gonna be outside with the bouncer, okay?” </p>
<p>Ben grabbed his keys and was out the door. “Yeah. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” </p>
<p>Rey was quiet on the other end of the line for longer than Ben was comfortable with, but eventually, she said, “I’m fine, I just… I don’t feel good. I’m tired. I’m just… really tired.” </p>
<p>Ben didn’t believe her but didn’t want to press. “Alright. Okay. I’ll be there in like… twenty minutes, tops. The bouncer’s okay with you hanging out with him?” </p>
<p>“It’s Poe! You remember Poe! You like Poe! Right?” </p>
<p>Ben sighed as he started his truck. “Yeah, Poe’s alright. Just… if he asks for your number you don’t have to give it to him.” </p>
<p>Rey didn’t laugh. Instead, she heaved out a great sigh. “Just get here, okay?” she said softly, meekly.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m on my way,” he promised. It has been so long since he heard Rey sound like that, so lost and so upset.<br/>
<br/>
She hung up and he drove the rest of the way in silence. He didn’t even bother to find a parking space, he just parked in the fire lane and turned on his hazards, hopping out of his truck to walk up to the front of the club. </p>
<p>Rey was curled up in a ball, crouched down against the wall with Poe’s jacket wrapped around her. Her hair was down and in loose waves, and it was clear that she had been crying. Poe was smoking a cigarette and bouncing on his toes, trying to keep warm. When Rey saw Ben she stood, shrugging off Poe’s jacket and handing it back to the other man. She was wearing a cream-colored mini dress that Ben had never seen before, and she was holding her heels. </p>
<p>She ran to the truck and sank low in the seat, and Ben turned to Poe. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her.” </p>
<p>Poe shrugged. “It was fine once she stopped crying. She and the boyfriend got in a fight, I think. Finn’s a good guy, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think he knew what he was getting into with Rey.” </p>
<p>Ben smiled, glancing back to his truck. All he could see was her bare feet on his dashboard. “Yeah, well. She’s… a lot. But she’s worth it, once you get past the annoying bits.” </p>
<p>Poe flicked his cigarette butt to the ground and stomped it out. “Whatever you say, Solo. You better get her home before she passes out in your truck.” </p>
<p>“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Ben called as he jogged back to his truck. </p>
<p>Rey had turned his heat all the way up and was humming along to the radio. Her mascara had run a bit down her face from her tears, but for the most part, it looked like she had pulled herself together. She wiggled her toes against the dash as she looked over at him solemnly. “Today has been the worst day of my life,” Rey said with finality before wiping her nose on the back of her hand like a toddler. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Ben said as he fastened his seatbelt. He wasn’t sure what else to say. He probably wasn’t the only reason it had been such a bad day for her, but he was a huge part of it. </p>
<p>She fastened her seatbelt before wrapping her arms around herself. The radio was the only sound for a while, but Ben could feel Rey watching him. “Finn got mad at me for being upset that you bailed on your birthday. He said he’s tired of hearing about you. All I talk about is you. And I told him he talks about his friends and I don’t get mad at him for it.” </p>
<p>“Rey… I get that you need to talk about this but I’m not the best person to talk to about it,” Ben said, shaking his head. </p>
<p>“Why?” she asked, raising her voice a bit. “I had to listen to you talk about every single problem you ever had with every girl you have ever dated or wanted to date! The least you can do is listen to me for a second!” </p>
<p>“Okay! Okay, that’s fair… alright,” Ben said softly, trying to calm her back down. “Alright. I’ll listen. I’m sorry you had a fight about me.” </p>
<p>“It wasn’t…” Rey began before wilting a bit. “Well. I guess it was. I just… I didn’t think it would be so hard.” </p>
<p>Ben was quiet for a bit. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to ask for clarification, but he wanted to know what she was thinking. “What… what’s hard?” </p>
<p>Rey took a slow breath, shaking her head a bit. “I don’t know. Just, like… dealing with him being jealous, I guess. He said he wouldn’t be. And I didn’t think you would be jealous either, but here we fucking are.” </p>
<p>There it was. He had hoped she wouldn’t call him on it, but he deserved to get called on it. </p>
<p>“Alright,” Ben said, shaking his head a bit as he turned back toward his apartment. “So I… okay. I’m sorry about the way I reacted, alright? I was just… I was caught off guard. I didn’t know you were seeing anyone. It surprised me. I shouldn’t have reacted that way, though. I shouldn’t have just… I don’t know. I should have talked to you. And not dropped off the face of the earth. I’m sorry.” </p>
<p>Rey scoffed from beside him, rubbing her hands down over her bare legs. “Yeah, well. You… you were… you were dumb. And mean. I’m used to the first one, but not the second one.” </p>
<p>Ben pulled into his usual parking spot, turning off his truck with a sigh. “To be fair, I’m mean to pretty much everyone but you.” </p>
<p>Rey whined, sinking a bit further in the seat. “Whatever. Ben, piggyback.” </p>
<p>“Will you forgive me if I give you a piggyback ride back to my place?” Ben asked, already passing his keys over to her. </p>
<p>She needed, her eyes slipping closed. Rey had officially hit a wall. It shouldn’t have been so cute, but it was. </p>
<p>Ben climbed out of his truck and crossed over to the passenger side, opening the door and turning his back to her. “Alright, hop on before you freeze.” </p>
<p>Rey wrapped her legs around his hips before wrapping his arms around him, patting his chest as she rested her cheek on his shoulder with a sigh. </p>
<p>She was asleep before he made it to the door, and he had to wrangle the keys out of her hand to let them both in. </p>
<p>He brought her to the bedroom and carefully deposited her there, pulling her dress down gently before covering her up with his duvet. He toed off his shoes and climbed in next to her. She cuddled up to him almost immediately and he didn’t pull away. </p>
<p>He just held her. </p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>The next morning they shared Ben’s leftover birthday dinner for breakfast. Ben gave her the largest portion and kept her cup of tea full. </p>
<p>She leaned into his side, yawning and glaring at her phone when it rang. “You don’t have to answer that,” Ben said softly, shaking his head a bit. “At least not right now. You can deal with it later.” </p>
<p>Rey nodded, dragging her fork along the edge of her plate. “Yeah. I’ll just talk to him later. He’s on his way to work anyway, I think.” </p>
<p>“If you want me to talk to him…” Ben began, but Rey looked up at him, unimpressed. “Alright, okay. I’ll leave it alone.” </p>
<p>Rey nodded, sighing. “It’s better if you don’t get involved any more than you’re already involved. Finn already thinks we’re codependent weirdos. Like he’s one to talk.” </p>
<p>“I don’t know enough about him to comment,” Ben muttered. “You need a ride home before you go into the garage today, or are you okay wearing whatever you’ve got here?” </p>
<p>Rey hummed, shaking her head a bit. “I’m probably okay. I’m sure I’ve got something suitable for work here.” </p>
<p>Ben nodded before finishing off the rich cake with a fond smile. “Alright. I’ll take you by then and then go into the studio. Just call when you need a ride home. I don’t mind.” </p>
<p>“Thank you, Ben,” Rey said softly from next to him. He turned to look at her just as she leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. </p>
<p>She missed. Her lips landed on the corner of his mouth. </p>
<p>He couldn’t breathe. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry… I… I meant… that isn’t what I…” she whispered in a rush as she pulled back. </p>
<p>Ben forced himself to look up at her. Her face was bright red as she jumped down off of the stool, eyes shining. “Hey, it’s okay, I moved on you,” Ben said, giving her an out. “Go get ready, I’ll do dishes and stuff, alright? Don’t worry about it.” </p>
<p>Rey didn’t need telling twice. She disappeared into the bathroom, and soon enough the sound of the shower filled the silence. </p>
<p>He made quick work of the dishes, setting them on the drying rack before his eyes fell on the present that he’d abandoned the night before. He unwrapped it slowly, unable to stop his laugh at what he saw. </p>
<p>It was a hoodie that he had spent the better part of five years looking for. It had been his favorite hoodie. Rey had sworn up and down that she had no idea where it was, but clearly, she had been a giant liar the entire time. It wasn’t even that nice of a hoodie, he’d had it since high school and it probably didn’t fit all that well anymore. </p>
<p>“I grew out of this thing ten years ago,” Ben said, trying to keep a straight face. Judging by the fact that Rey’s smugness grew, he wasn’t successful. “It’s amazing how someone who swore they didn’t even know what a hoodie was managed to track this one down. You missed your calling as a detective.”</p>
<p>“Why am I friends with you? Why have I put up with you for all these years?” Rey asked. “Just for that, you have to take that stupid dress to the dry cleaners. Maybe abandon it at the dry cleaners, I haven’t decided.” </p>
<p>“That’s a little dramatic, I thought it looked nice,” Ben said, grabbing his jacket and tossing the hoodie to Rey. “Wear that so you don’t freeze.” </p>
<p>“I’m not the only dramatic one,” She muttered but pulled it on. </p>
<p>Ben got a lot of work done that day. </p>
<p>Time passed. Rey didn’t bring up Finn again. Ben didn’t ask. He also didn’t want to presume. It was weird, but things were back to normal. Ish. </p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Three years. Three years of Rey building her business and Ben doing the same. He had painted a swirling galaxy on the broad side of the garage, much to the dismay of Han. It became a very popular destination for photographers, both amateur and professional alike. </p>
<p>Ben’s favorite picture in front of the wall was the one he’d taken of Rey for her website, a white t-shirt tucked into her jeans and a red bandana tied around her neck. She looked like a badass, so much so that she frequently got emails from random men asking her out on dates. They could recognize what Ben had known all along: Rey was a catch. </p>
<p>She’d moved in with him when the lease on her place was up and she’d set her mind on saving up for a plot of land out near his parents where she wanted to build a house. </p>
<p>She had big plans for the future, and he was excited for them both. </p>
<p>He built a frame for the well-worn agreement that he and Rey had signed fifteen years ago. He sanded it down smooth, painted it, gilded it, made sure everything was perfect. </p>
<p>It was wrapped in the bottom drawer of his dresser, next to a small velvet box. Thinking about that fact made him a little queasy.<br/>
<br/>
Ben had a show coming up at his storefront and was going in to stretch a handful of canvases for an interactive installation the morning of Rey’s 30th birthday. She had an appointment for a massage that was a gift from Han and Leia, and after that, she was going to have a birthday lunch with a handful of her friends. Finn was apparently seeing someone new and Rey was excited to meet her. </p>
<p>The thought of an entire waitstaff singing happy birthday to Rey made Ben embarrassed for her, but she was probably excited about the whole thing. </p>
<p>That evening, Ben was going to make her dinner. He had ordered her a mango cake from a Filipino bakery that they used to go to a lot because it reminded Rey of her first foster family. He had gotten his mother’s recipe for meatloaf because Rey was obsessed with it for some odd reason, and he had a plan. </p>
<p>He’d had a plan for years. </p>
<p>When Rey made it home she was loaded down with gifts from her friends. She was glowing with happiness. “Looks like you had a good time,” Ben said as he looked up from the handwritten recipe his mother had given him. </p>
<p>“Mmm, yes, I might have had a drink or two,” Rey said, dumping her presents on the sofa. “I wish you could have come. It was great. I got a free piece of chocolate cake for my birthday, you could have gotten it instead of Rose. That’s Finn’s new girlfriend. She’s really sweet.” </p>
<p>“Check the fridge, I’ve got something better than chocolate,” Ben said with a little grin as he cracked a few eggs into a bowl. </p>
<p>Rey didn’t hesitate to do so. She pulled open the door to the fridge and lifted the lid of the white box. “You… Ben! You got the cake! The best cake!” </p>
<p>“I did,” he said, dumping in some brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. It seemed like maybe his mom just put a lot of random shit into this meatloaf and called it good. To be fair, it was good. </p>
<p>“You’re the best,” She sighed, nudging his arm upward so she could tuck herself against his side, wrapping him in a hug. After a moment she made a disgusted little sound as she watched him dump the meat mixture into the loaf pan. “What… are you making?” she asked. </p>
<p>“Mom’s meatloaf,” Ben said, adding the glaze to the top. </p>
<p>“Okay, I wish I had never seen it in its raw form,” Rey said, ducking back out from under his arm. “I’m going to take a bath, I’m covered in massage oil. And it’s my birthday, I’m eating dinner in my pajamas.” </p>
<p>“No judgment from me,” he said with a little laugh, putting the meat monstrosity in the oven, followed by a sheet pan of potatoes and green beans to roast. The table was already set, now all he had to do was wait. </p>
<p>He didn’t have to wait for much longer. </p>
<p>Ben got out his wrapped gift and placed it on the table. He slipped the velvet box into his pocket. He opened a bottle of wine to let it breathe, and he got out the birthday cake to put the candles on top. </p>
<p>He turned on the playlist he’d put together for the night and took a deep breath, trying to ease his nerves. </p>
<p>Rey emerged from the bathroom wearing a well-worn thermal of Ben’s and some leggings, smiling at the set table. Her hair was in damp curls around her face. She settled down and filled her plate, folding her legs up in her chair as she dug in. </p>
<p>Ben didn’t realize he was just sitting here staring until she looked up at him, frowning. “What, do I have something on my face?” </p>
<p>“Oh, no, no,” Ben said, feeling his cheeks heat as he picked up his fork. “Sorry, I got lost in thought there.” </p>
<p>Rey flicked a green bean at him, laughing. “You’re weird.” </p>
<p>Ben chuckled as well, flicking the green bean back towards her. “Takes a weirdo to know a weirdo, you know.”<br/>
<br/>
She hummed. “Well. That’s probably true. But as long as I keep you around I know I’m not the weirdest person in the room.” </p>
<p>Ben chuckled, scooting the food around on his plate. “I should take offense to that but I don’t.” </p>
<p>Rey reached for the wrapped present, picking it up. “Can I open this?”<br/>
<br/>
Ben nodded. “You don’t want to blow out candles first?”<br/>
<br/>
Rey groaned and put it in her lap, finishing off her dinner quickly before pulling the cake closer. “Well, light them so I can make a wish and open my present!” Ben pulled the lighter out of his pocket, making quick work of the candles. “I’m not singing, but I’ll say Happy Birthday,” he said, his hand slipping back into his pocket to get the ring box. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” she said with a soft smile. She tucked her hair behind her ears before leaning forward to blow them out. When they were out she picked the present back up.<br/>
<br/>
“I’ve got something to go along with that as well,” Ben said, nodding to the frame as she unwrapped it. He put the ring box on the table and popped it open, sliding it over towards her while she was distracted. “I’ve waited for this for a long time.” </p>
<p>Rey crumbled up the wrapping paper and held up the contract, squinting a bit to read the messy handwriting. “What is this?” she asked as she looked up, her eyes falling on the ring box. Her eyes got comically wide as she looked from the ring to Ben. “Ben, what is this?” </p>
<p>“A proposal,” Ben said, nudging the ring towards her. “It’s your birthday.” </p>
<p>“I… what?” Rey asked, looking back down at the piece of paper. “I need… a little more explanation than that, Ben, I’m lost.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s the agreement we made, forever ago,” Ben said, trying not to panic. “That if we… if we were both single when you turned 30 we’d marry each other. I’ve been planning this for a long time.”<br/>
<br/>
“So… hold on…” Rey said, putting the frame down. “Instead of asking me out like a normal person, you just… waited until I turned 30 so we’d just get married?” she asked, her tone unreadable. </p>
<p>Ben wilted a bit. It sounded really stupid when she said it like that. Fuck. It was really stupid, wasn’t it? “Well… yeah. I just… I sort of figured you were… you wanted to do that too. We never talked about it so I thought it was the plan.” </p>
<p>“Ben, I have no memory of this agreement!” Rey said, holding up the frame. “I don’t remember signing this! I don’t even know if I did!” </p>
<p>“No, look, you did, it’s your signature, and it’s dated,” Ben said, leaning forward to point it out on the form. “I wouldn’t have kept this safe for fifteen years if it was a forgery.”<br/>
<br/>
“You are such a dumbass, Ben Solo,” Rey muttered, rubbing her temples. </p>
<p>“Okay, well, first off, rude,” he said, reaching for the ring box to take it back. “You could just say no.” </p>
<p>“Fuck you, you aren’t taking my ring,” Rey said as she slapped away his hand. “I just… don’t understand why you didn’t just ask me out a million years ago!”<br/>
<br/>
“I could ask you the same thing,” Ben snapped back, dragging the cake his way to cut it. He needed something sweet. “You’re perfectly capable of asking me out too, you know.” </p>
<p>“That’s fair,” Rey said, taking the ring box in her hands. “How long have you had this?” </p>
<p>“You’re just going to make fun of me,” Ben said as he passed a slice of cake over to her.<br/>
<br/>
“Okay, no, no I’m not, I’m sorry I don’t remember, okay?” Rey said, sitting up a bit.<br/>
<br/>
Ben cut himself a slice, shoving a big bite in his mouth to delay having to answer her question a bit. When he couldn’t delay anymore he muttered, “I got it back in college. I was in a class with a jewelry designer and she helped me out designing the perfect ring.”<br/>
<br/>
“You are such a dork, Jesus,” Rey said, shaking her head a bit. She was still cradling the ring box carefully. “I need you to answer a question, Ben. And I need you to be honest. Do you want to marry me just because you’re afraid of being alone? Because you’ve got me no matter what. We don’t have to be married.”<br/>
<br/>
Ben shook his head, hesitating for a moment before reaching out for one of her hands. “No. That isn’t it. Rey… Rey, I’ve been in love with you forever. Forever. Since before I met you, I think. And I have always been afraid to say anything because I was afraid you thought I just wanted to be your friend because of that. You never really showed interest in dating me, so I decided… well. I decided that I’d rather have you in my life as a friend than not at all. But then you agreed to that, and I thought… great. I just have to be patient, I can be patient.”<br/>
<br/>
“So… so what, you’ve been planning this since you got me to sign this thing?” Rey asked, picking it up again and reading it over. “You’ve had a lot of time to plan, haven’t you?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ve cycled through quite a few different ideas over the years,” Ben said. “When you were super into the idea of having a pet goat for a while I was going to propose to you like that. Get you a goat and come up with some dumb pun about how being married to me would be the greatest of all time.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh my god,” Rey gasped before she broke out into laughter, her head dropping to the table. After she had composed herself again she lifted her head, looking up at him. “So… so what else do you have planned?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll show you my Pinterest boards for weddings, and I have a handful of playlists for different occasions. They are mostly like this one, to be fair,” Ben said.<br/>
<br/>
“Your depressing love songs,” Rey sighed, a fond smile on her face. “Ben… I don’t know what to say.” </p>
<p>Ben sighed, wilting a bit. “Well. Ideally, I’d like you to say yes. But I understand if you don’t want to.”<br/>
<br/>
Rey passed the ring box back over to him, and he felt nauseous. This was a nightmare. “Well, ask properly,” Rey prompted, sitting up a bit straighter.<br/>
<br/>
Ben’s nausea abated slightly. “Rey… will… will you marry me?” he asked softly.<br/>
<br/>
She held out her hand, wiggling her fingers a bit. “Yeah. But we’re going to have a long engagement. I want to date you before we get married, I know that’s a little unconventional, but…” </p>
<p>“Shut up,” Ben said, sliding the ring onto her finger. </p>
<p>Rey was on her feet in a flash, crossing over to his side of the table and dropping down into his lap. She slid her fingers through his hair slowly. Her gaze softened as she studied his face. “You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about doing this,” she said softly, brushing her nose against his. </p>
<p>Ben let out a shaky breath against her lips, his arms wrapping around her waist. He had held her a million times, but it had never felt like this. He was about to ask her what exactly she had thought about doing, but then she was kissing him. Properly this time, purposefully. He kissed her back, letting her take the lead. </p>
<p>When she made a soft, pleased sound against his mouth he made a sound he didn’t recognize. Every person he’d been with before this moment was only there to allow him to be able to truly appreciate this moment. </p>
<p>“Can we take the cake for your bedroom?” Rey asked against his lips.<br/>
<br/>
“Grab it,” he said, letting her twist around to get it. He shoved two forks into the top of it before he lifted her into his arms, carrying her to his bedroom.<br/>
<br/>
If they both needed to take another bath later, so be it. </p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“... So when Ben was jealous when I dated Rey, I had no idea it was because he had planned out their entire lives together. Even the menu that you’re having tonight. He’s weird as hell, but he’s good to Rey. They are good for each other. To Rey, my best friend, and Ben, her former best friend now husband. Sorry, dude, your promotion means I’m her best friend now. I don’t make the rules.” </p>
<p>Rey laughed from beside him, holding up her champagne glass as Finn finished his toast. Ben lifted his glass with a scoff. “He’s not your best friend, right?” he asked, looking over at his wife. </p>
<p>Wife. Rey was his wife now. </p>
<p>Rey tapped her glass to his before leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. He would probably have lipstick all over his face by the end of the night, but he didn’t mind. “Let the poor boy have his fun,” she said with a little wink before taking a drink of her champagne. </p>
<p>Ben laughed before taking a drink of his champagne.<br/>
<br/>
Rey stood, holding out her hands for Ben. “Come dance with me.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not good at it,” Ben said as he took her hands in his, standing all the same.<br/>
<br/>
“Neither am I,” Rey said with a fond smile. “But we’ve got our whole lives to learn.”  </p>
<p>Ben squeezed her hands, letting her head him out to the dance floor. </p>
<p>They had their whole lives. </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4M0En48yZaCnO2ay9oHbfN?si=_sIT4PbfTPGzUqRUJzVNgA </p>
<p>I made the playlist.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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